From the Depths of Darkness
by SwiftFeather
Summary: Jack Frost is the Guardian of Fun. Skipping meetings, bringing snow days and annoying the hell out of Bunnymund was his job for a few years now. But Pitch Black had returned... and his first target was Jack Frost. Jack Frost has fallen. The world is ending. The fun was gone... Meanwhile, Jamie Bennett found someone at his doorstep. That person is the key to it all...
1. Pitch Returns

"Snow day!" Jack cried as he leapt off an apartment building, zipping towards Burgess Park. As he zoomed past, the winds rose, and snow fell. The children screamed in pure joy and danced around in the park. Their parents had to chase after them to prevent them from slipping on the new ice that had formed on the path.

"Hahaha!" Jack laughed, as he landed on the statue in the middle of the park. He watched as the children ran past, screaming in joy and excitement as the first snow drifted down from the sky – thanks to him.

"Hey, mate," A voice said from behind him.

"…Oh come on, not on snow day!" Jack said, turning around to face the owner of that voice. Jack gave a deadpan look as he found Bunnymund leaning on the statue behind him as well. "Oh, hey kangaroo," Jack said, smiling slightly, his blue-grey eyes sparkling. "Can't you see I'm… busy here? And this is my statue, go get your own,"

Bunnymund turned to glare at the boy, narrowing his eyes. "You think I want to be here, mate? It's freezing cold and I'm busy preparing for Easter as well. Just so you know, Easter takes more preparation compared to your 'snow day', in which all ya do is to fly around and freeze up everything you see," Bunnymund muttered.

"Whoa, whoa, hey," Jack held up both his hands, looking offended. "You have your mossy two-faced egg golems to do your job for you while you chew on carrots and hop around in your tunnels all day. Unlike me, I've got no minions to do my awesome work," Jack scoffed, leaning against his staff with a smile on his face.

"Pitch's back," Bunnymund said simply. It seemed like the bunny did not want to continue quarrelling with the white-haired guardian.

"Pitch's… what?" Jack said, frowning. "He's back? When? How?"

"Yesterday," Bunnymund said, sighing, looking at Jack. He seemed glad that he could finally get to work with the Guardian of mischief and fun. "Don't you ever look up into the skies? North's sent out the call yesterday night. Where were you?" Bunny questioned him, narrowing his eyes. It was obvious now. He was here because Jack did not turn up for the meeting.

Jack blinked, and looked away from Bunny in a guilty way. "Well… I was, uh," Jack muttered, unable to provide an explanation. Jack was actually listening in on a conversation last night. Something about 'global warming'. He was so engrossed in the discussion that he did not even notice that the auroras were beaming across the night skies.

"It better be a good reason, but I don't wanna hear it," Bunny said victoriously. Jack glared at his fellow guardian, feeling distaste that he had made a mistake, and gave Bunny a chance to act all high and mighty about it.

"I'll be there, the next meeting," Jack said, waving it off and turning away from Bunny. Bunny looked at Jack, surprised. "Hey, I just told you Pitch is back, Frostbite! Ya gonna just walk away like nothing happened?" Bunny asked.

"I didn't say I didn't care, it's just that we can't do anything about it now, right?" Jack told Bunny. "I've got my job to do now, it is my time of the year. And Pitch can't win against the five of us," Jack grinned, and allowed the wind to take him to the skies.

"H-Hey mate!" Bunny yelled out, but Jack was already gone with the wind.

* * *

"Pitch is back…?" Jack whispered to himself, his hood over his head as he walked on top of the frozen surface of the lake. He was worried for the children. Pulling the hood off his head, revealing his white hair, Jack looked up into the skies. If Pitch really came back, why didn't he appear in front of Jack? Afterall, Jack did play a big role in vanquishing him just a few years ago.

"Hahaha!"

Jack turned around at the sound of children's laughter. A girl holding onto a pair of ice-skates had appeared at the edge of the lake. Jack's eyes widened, and he quickly ducked behind a tree to hide from her. Climbing up to sit on a branch to get a better view, he smiled as he watched the girl skate around the surface of the lake, having fun.

The girl looked like the sister he had from his memories. Just thinking about that memory… his final moments as a human… he felt a sourness behind his nose. It made him tear up.

Watching the girl as she skated and laughed on her own, he wondered if that was how his sister led the rest of her life… skating alone without him. He hoped that she had fun, even without his presence.

_Crackk._

"Ahh!" The girl cried out. The ice cracked under her feet. Jack raised his head at that sound, his eyes widening. It was happening again. The girl was in danger! He had to save her! "Hang on, I'm coming!" Jack called out, and leapt down, skittering across the ice.

* * *

"Frostbite took off again," Bunny said, leaning against the pillar at North's headquarters in front of the fireplace. "See, I told you. I bet he isn't going to turn up again. He probably would come up with some false reasons, like 'oh, I needed to create a new glacier down town so that the children can have their own little slide', " Bunnymund scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Ah, don't be so uptight, Bunny! I'm sure he has his reasons! I can see more and more children believing in Jack, that shows that he is doing his job!" North said in his jolly Russian accent, holding up a miniature version of his sleigh in his left hand, his chisel in his right. He admired his work and let it soar around the globe that was dotted with tiny, pretty lights which represented each a child. "And even though the Man in the Moon had told me that Pitch was back for more, he did not select a new Guardian this time. Pitch must still be weak. We must first find out what he is after this time, and what are his new plans… and stop him!" North bellowed, his belly bouncing as he slammed a fist on the wooden table, causing a few elves serving cookies to jump, their bells jingling as they rattled from the force.

Tooth fluttered above the sandman, both of them listening to North with some worry. "Oh… I'm so worried he'd try to do what he did the other time, stealing all those precious teeth…" Tooth looked at her smaller partners fluttering around her, and sighed, her purple eyes filled with worry. "I think we should go separately this time, maybe we'll have more chances of finding out what pitch is up to!" Tooth said, her eyes brightening, her wings flapping quickly to keep her airbourne.

Sandy dreamsand formed a smiling face above him, together with a thumbs up, showing that he agreed with what Tooth suggested. He puched his small golden hand into his other to show that he was ready to kick some Pitch ass.

Bunnymund straightened up. "I agree with that. I think the four of us could handle it. That kid can just play with his snowballs or whatever," Bunny grumbled. "I knew he wasn't cut out to be a Guardian, even after these years," Bunny muttered the last part in his sentence, rolling his eyes again. Obviously he still did not approve.

North turned to look at the three, and then up at the moon. The air was still outside, and he felt no cold nipping at his nose. Jack was not coming. North sighed, looking back at his fellow Guardians. "Well, that is all we can do for now. I'll try to find Jack Frost and bring him back here one day, even if I have to shove him into another sack and toss him through another magic portal, eh?" North said, smiling as if he was pleased with his idea. "He did say he liked it the first time he came here!"

Tooth smiled awkwardly and nodded. "I think you should get him here that way, right Sandy?" Tooth said, laughing as she looked down at the golden man. Sandy blinked, looking up at her and puffed up his cheeks.

"Well, we'll be going now," Tooth said, fluttering up together with Sandy. "We'll try to find out what is going on out there in the shadows, and if we get anything, we'll contact everyone ASAP… including Jack," Tooth nodded, and soared out of the window. Sandy gave a small wave, and followed suit.

North watched as they go, nodding. After they had left, he turned back to look at Bunny. "I suppose you can get to work too, Bunny," North said.

Bunny was polishing his boomerang, and he looked up as he was done with it, keeping it behind his back again. "Yeah, I should probably get going. Just saying… I think that… That winter boy isn't doing his job at all. I didn't want to say this, but maybe it is better off if he wasn't a guardian," Bunny told North, his voice heavy.

North looked back at Bunny, blinking. "He helped us, Bunny. You know he did. He is perfect as a guardian in every way,"

"But where is he now? When the children need him? I'm sorry, North, mate," Bunny said, and a tunnel opened in the ground in front of him. The furred guardian gave North another look, before leaping down the tunnel back to his home. He left North standing there, looking up at the moon.

* * *

"Ahhh!" The girl stared up at Jack, who walked towards her lightly on the ice. He stood in front of her, smiling. She looked afraid, her legs shaking. Exactly like his sister on that fateful day. But now… he had the power to help her.

"Everything's fine," Jack said, his blue eyes softening. He reached out with his staff, and tapped the surface of the ice. The cracks vanished, and ice crystals in beautiful patterns spread across the ice.

"There," Jack smiled, standing in front of her. "Are you alright?"

The girl looked up at Jack, smiling. She did not say a word. Jack blinked. Was she too surprised to see him? Maybe that was why she was just smiling. But there was something about that smile that made him think something was… not quite right.

"Uhhh… I suppose you can see me , right?" Jack asked, suddenly unsure. The girl continued to look at him. Jack looked up slowly at the moon as a shadow fell across him. A large, dark cloud covered the moon above him, and the world around him darkened. "Moon…?" Jack whispered, watching with narrowed eyes as the cloud crept across the moon… and soon engulfed it entirely. Jack's eyes widened. That was not a normal cloud… it was darker… and it was swirling. It threw the entire surrounding into darkness. He could feel a chill that had got nothing to do with himself.

"Pitch…" Jack whispered, and he knew in that instant that Pitch Black had something to do with this. "We have to get out of here-" Jack looked back down at the girl, but he stopped in mid sentence. The girl was standing in front of him, and was still looking at him. But she was holding something in her hand.

Black sand.

In the shape of something long… and sharp.

"…What…" Jack whispered. Then the girl grinned, her eyes wide as she stabbed Jack through his stomach using the shard made of black sand. It made a sickening sound as it went through Jack's thin body, through his blue hoodie and out through his back.

"Urghh…" Jack's finger loosened around his staff, and it clattered onto the ice. Reaching up with his hands, he curled it around the shard, as if trying to pull it out. In front of his eyes, the girl turned into black sand, and pulled the shard out of him.

Jack felt cold. A darkness seemed to creep over his hoodie from the wound in his stomach and his legs turned weak. He fell over sliently onto the icy surface, and the girl evaporated into shapeless black sand, skittering across the ice towards a tall, dark figure standing by the shadows of the trees.

Pitch Black glided over towards the boy lying in the middle of the lake, the staff discarded beside the body.

"Jack Frost…" Pitch said, looking down at the motionless body. It was as if he was sad. But a grin spread across his face. "How fitting… you ended your life as a human here, and now, you end your life as a Guardian here, at the very same spot. In the exact same circumstances as you were in 300 years ago," Pitch used his foot to flip Jack over onto his back. Black blood stained his hoodie from the wound in his stomach, and it flowed over the surface of the lake. "You have me to thank for that. And the rest of the guardians will soon join you… Jack,"

* * *

**Another ROTG Story from me. :P I'm on a roll! And I must torture Jack if not i won't enjoy it. Yes, bash me all you want. :P**


	2. Jack is Rising

"Why have you called us here, North?" Bunnymund asked, standing beside Tooth and Sandy. "It's tad bit early for another meeting, I'd say,"

North sighed, facing the three guardians. He looked around first, and saw that Jack Frost was once again, nowhere in sight. "Well, it _is _snow day yesterday," North said, shrugging. Tooth and Sandy looked towards Bunnymund, blinking. Bunny glared at them. "What? I'm not going to say anything. I'm done, mate," Sandy and Tooth looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, now, it cannot be helped that he isn't here," North said, clapping his hands together. "I've brought you all here together, to tell you that…" North took in a deep breath, and then stared at them with his blue eyes. "…Pitch is back,"

The three guardians blinked at North, and then Bunny spoke. "Well… we have heard of that already… unless you meant it in a different sort of way?" Bunny asked, his eye and ear twitching.

"Well, er, yes," North muttered before pausing again. "Pitch has been sighted. We have to go immediately, with Jack Frost, or without,"

"What!" Tooth exclaimed, zipping forwards. "Pitch… Pitch Black is really… back?" Tooth whispered. "Oh girls… this isn't good. North, we have to go immediately! The children… they are in danger!" She exclaimed, a few of her colorful feathers dropping to the ground in her anxiety.

"Dispatch to Burgess, now," North ordered in a bellowing voice. "We have a shadow we have to catch, immediately!"

"Burgess?" Bunny muttered, thinking hard. "Isn't that where Frostbite was yesterday? That means we'd probably bump into him there, bummer," Bunny muttered. Tooth looked back at her friend and thought about what he had said. "Bunny… that is rather strange," Tooth said slowly, clasping her hands together worriedly. "If Pitch was in Burgess… he should be looking for Jack. Why hasn't Jack contacted us?"

Bunny did not reply immediately. It did cross his mind that it was rather strange, but seeing that it is Jack Frost he was talking about – there could be many reasons. "Ah, well, he probably didn't see Pitch at all. I'm sure that kid would have told us immediately if he did see Pitch," Bunny said. Though it disturbed him that it seemed as if he was trying to reassure himself…

"Alright, hop onto the sleigh! We have to make haste!" North billowed, waving his arms as he led the guardians to where he kept his sleigh. Bunnymund stopped in his tracks, gulping. "W-Wait wait, I'm not taking that sleigh again, North," He objected, remembering that time when he took the sleigh – it was not a very good experience even though he got used to it.

"Get on!" North said gruffly, grabbing Bunny by the back of his neck and tossing him onto the sleigh.

* * *

Pitch Black looked across the lake from the shadows. Jack Frost was still lying there, motionless. Most probably dead or near death. His black blood has covered the entire icy surface of the lake by now. Most humans would have seen the surface of the lake dark like it is now – and most of them called it the phenomenon called 'black ice'. The weather around the lake has warmed. Was it because… Jack Frost has fallen?

Pitch watched with a grin on his long, grey face, his strange gold eyes gleaming. He was becoming more powerful. The ice was melting. Some of the water dripped off from the branches above him, and landed on his cheeks. It was cold. Pitch reached up to wipe away the water from his face.

He could sense it. The Guardians are coming closer.

There was a jingle, as the sky exploded into a rainbow vortex, and out of that vortex came the sleigh.

"Seems a little warmer around here compared to yesterday," Bunny commented, as they exited the magic portal and entered Burgess air space. Tooth frowned. "That is strange… Jack should have done his job here, since you said yesterday was made a snow day by him," Tooth peered over the side of the sleigh, and looked down towards Earth.

She gasped.

Bunny, Sandy and North turned to look as well. Bunny and Sandy looked down over the side of the sleigh together with Tooth. They passed over the lake, and saw that it had turned black. "The lake… it has turned black… and the ice, it's disappearing!" Tooth exclaimed. "Isn't that… Jack?"

Bunny narrowed his eyes to get a good look. He saw that in the middle of the black lake, there was a figure clad in blue with white hair. "Blimey, it's him alright. What is he doing lying over there? North, send us down," Bunny said, turning to North. North looked over at Bunny, and raised his eyebrows. "Of course. Down!"

The sleigh circled down slowly, and finally landed on the surface of the lake. As they landed, the black liquid splashed everywhere, until the sleigh finally came to a stop. Tooth was the first one to fly out of the sleigh, towards the boy lying on the surface of the lake.

"Jack!" Tooth cried, and she stopped, a hand over her mouth. "J-Jack…!"

Bunnymund and Sandy followed suit, before stopping right beside Tooth. "F-Frostbite…!"

North came tumbling towards them at last, and he knew even before he saw. Jack Frost was lying motionless in the middle of the lake. The air was getting warm. The ice was melting. North knew what had happened. "Jack Frost…" North pushed Bunny and Sandy aside to make his way towards the fallen boy, and kneeled beside him.

Jack's face was pale, and his eyes were closed. He was stained with the black liquid, a stark contrast to his white hair and pale face. "This wound…" North muttered, as Bunny, Sandy and Tooth came closer. North reached down and placed a hand on Jack's abdomen. "Stabbed with black sand, with fear," North muttered. "Pitch… Pitch did this. He got to Jack first,"

Sandy looked around, and saw Jack's staff, covered with the black liquid. He floated over, and pointed to it silently, gesturing to his fellows. Bunny saw what Sandy was trying to say, and hopped over, picking up Jack's staff. "Give him this," Bunny said, passing the staff to North. North took the staff, and placed it in Jack's hand.

An explosion of icy cold wind came as North closed Jack's fingers around the staff. Ice formed over the staff, and across the surface of the lake, freezing the black liquid over. There was a poof above them, and snow started to fall.

"Uhh…" Jack opened his eyes slightly, and in his blurred vision, he could make out North, Sandy, Bunny and Tooth. "…North…?" Jack whispered weakly as North held him up . North heaved a sigh of relief, and then the rest did too. "You're alive… thank goodness…" Tooth said, putting her hand to her mouth again, tears in her pink eyes.

"What happened, mate? We have to get you back to the Pole! You're badly hurt!" Bunnymund said, sounding almost anxious.

"There's no use… he'll die soon, anyway," The darkness from the trees crept forwards, and billowed out in a black mist of sand. Pitch emerged from amongst the sand, and stood in front of them, a diabolical smile on his face. "Long time no see, Guardians," He hissed.

"Pitch!" Bunny growled, and leapt up, whipping out his boomerang. He was ready to defend. Tooth and Sandy came up beside him on each side, both ready to fight. "What do you mean, he'll die anyway? He's a guardian, you know we don't perish that easily," Tooth asked, glaring at Pitch.

"Calm down, calm down!" Pitch laughed, walking around the group slowly. He kept his golden eyes on them, as if he was a hawk watching his prey. "I know you guys are really, really excited to see me,"

"Grrrrrr!" Bunny leapt forwards, brandishing his boomerang over his head, towards Pitch.

Pitch stood where he was, his hands behind his back. "Now, Jack," Pitch sneered, a wide smile forming on his face.

North looked from Pitch down to the winter spirit in his arms. "Jack?" North asked, and his blue eyes widened when he saw a smile form on the boy's face. Jack Frost reached up and grabbed North's shoulder. With that touch, a supersonic wave of cold and dark emitted from the boy, throwing North away from him. Bunny was thrown off balance, and he landed onto the black ice, his boomerang spinning away on top of the ice.

"Blimey mate!" Bunny sat up, looking over at Jack. He was alarmed.

Tooth was blown off as well, and hit rock face behind her before flopping onto the ground. Sandy bounced across the ice, and landed beside her. All the guardians groaned, and looked up with some fear at the boy now standing in the middle of the lake, holding his staff.

His white hair shifted in the wind, and his blue hoodie was stained with a black substance around his stomach area. There was a grin on his face, and his blue-grey eyes were wide.

"Jack…?" Tooth asked in a small voice, hoping that the boy would answer her, would become normal again.

"Cold and darkness indeed go together… can't you see now, Guardians?" Pitch said, walking towards the center of the lake, and standing right next to Jack. He placed a grey hand on Jack's shoulder and smiled. "Very good job, Jack…" Pitch said in a tender voice. Jack stood there, not saying a word.

"We have to get him back," Tooth whispered as North and Bunny got up, and moved towards Tooth and Sandy. They stood in a row, their weapons ready, facing Jack and Pitch.

"I knew this would happen one day," Bunnymund growled, his paw tightening around his boomerang, keeping his eyes on Jack. Then he paused, and Bunny nodded slightly. "Jack Frost is weak. He can't be a guardian. Looks like we have to take him down, here and now, together with Pitch," Bunny said aloud. Sandy, Tooth and North turned to look at him, their eyes wide with surprise. "Bunny! You know we can't do that!" Tooth exclaimed. Sandy was shaking his head, and exclamation mark forming on top of his head. North's mouth was open, his blue eyes filled with shock. "We can't do that Bunnymund! Jack Frost…. Jack Frost is officially a Guardian, and he will always be! We can't… can't kill him!"

"Ooooh yes we can," Bunny said, walking forwards with a smug look on his face. _Come on, Frostbite. _"Well, you see, all he does is to freeze things, make people sick, and well, get taken over by Pitch," Bunny said.

Jack Frost's smile disappeared, and Pitch frowned, looking from Jack to Bunny. "You're underestimating us, little rabbit…" Pitch hissed. "Jack Frost is powerful. He just isn't using his powers for the right thing… until now. I'll help him show what he can really do with his powers. Jack?" Pitch said, and looked at the boy on his side. Jack's fingers tightened against his staff. He was looking straight at Bunnymund. Bunny kept his boomerang ready, never keeping his eyes off Jack. North stepped forwards slightly. "Bunny, this is a mistake, fall back, now!" North billowed.

"Are you going to just stand there?" Bunny asked, taunting Jack. "And let Pitch order you around?"

"Jack," Pitch urged the boy on, the smile on his face getting wider, his golden eyes becoming brighter. Jack's hand was shaking, and now he was hunched over slightly, gritting his teeth.

"You shouldn't have done that, Bunny, you'll just make him mad," North said, looking from Bunny to Jack.

"HRAHHH!" Jack yelled, raising his staff, and bringing it down to the ice with it. A strong, icy cold wind kicked up and became stronger and stronger, and the ice under his staff cracked.

"Uh oh," Bunny said, looking down at the cracks in the ice as he struggled to stay upright in the strong wind. Tooth screamed, unable to stay airborne as well. All of them were lying down on the ice, unable to stand from the icy cold wind that bit painfully into their skin and bones. Pitch too, was brought down. "Wait wait wait, Jack, not me! They're your enemies, not me too!" But Jack was not listening. His eyes have turned red, a maniacal grin on his face. The darkness from his wound spread across his blue hoodie, dyeing it black completely.

The Guardians and Pitch watched in horror as the ice gave way, and all of them fell into the dark, deathly waters of the lake.

"What have you done… Pitch?" North yelled, before disappearing into the icy waters.

* * *

**OMG. LOL. EVIL JACK. WTF. Now Pitch has to join forces with the Guardians to stop this monstrosity he created. Would he…?**


	3. From The Past

"We have to get out of here!" Tooth cried, struggling in the swirling waters. She had to shout as over the strong winds, she could not even hear herself.

"Jack! Jack! I'm the one who gave you this power – let me out… Let me out!" Pitch yelled, stretching his hands out to the boy in the black hoodie standing above the raging waters. Jack looked down at Pitch, his scarlet eyes narrowing. For a moment, Pitch thought that he had won – Jack would pull him up and save him. But Jack smiled.

"Jack!" North cried, as he gasped, bursting forth from the violent waters. He was buffeted by the wind, but the burly man was close to Jack. North reached up, and grasped Jack's ankle. "Jack Frost!" North gasped, his blue eyes fixed on Jack. Jack turned from Pitch and looked down at his fellow Guardian. His smile had disappeared again, and his red eyes narrowed.

"Jack!" Tooth cried, as she managed to swim up to North, and grasped the fur on North's clothes. She felt someone grab onto the fur as well, and saw Bunnymund with Sandy. Sandy was grasping onto Bunny's ears. "Ow! Frostbite!" Bunny yelled up at Jack. Jack glared at all of them, but he seemed to be hesitating. Then he raised his staff, and brought it down with some force. A wave of air knocked everyone away from him from the center of the lake, including Pitch, and they all spun onto dry land as the whirlwind died down around Jack.

"Oooh…" North held his head as he got up, looking around to see if everyone's alright. "Everyone alright there?!" He yelled out, and saw with relief to see Bunnymund, Sandy and Tooth shaking their heads stunned. Pitch stood up nearby too, stunned as well.

North then turned to look at Jack, who stood in the middle of the lake. The ice layer over the lake was smashed, but where Jack stood, new ice was already forming, allowing him to stand upon it. "Oh…" North muttered, as he saw Jack staring straight at them, his scarlet eyes glowing. Then Jack leapt up, and the wind took him up into the skies and over the trees, disappearing from sight.

North stood there for a moment, his mouth slightly open, before he turned to glare at Pitch. "…Boogeyman…!" North billowed, his beard fluffing up in his anger, his cheeks turning its signature red.

"Uh?" Pitch dusted his black robe off, and stared as North approached him. Pitch stepped back, his eye twitching in fear. "Ah, uh, nice to see you again, North," Pitch said, his voice shaking slightly. North loomed over Pitch, and grabbed him by the collar. "You're coming with us, you nasty gunk," North growled, and dragged Pitch towards Bunnymund, Sandy and Tooth.

"…North, what in the world are you doing? We haven't got time for this, mate!" Bunnymund exclaimed, staring at Pitch in North's hands. "Jack Frost has gone mad! I think it'd be even worse than the blizzard of '68! Not just the children – the world is in danger!" Bunny hopped after North, who just walked past them towards his overturned sleigh.

"North, North, you heard what this kangaroo said," Pitch pleaded, gesturing towards Bunnymund. "We, need to stop Jack Frost! And I'm not of importance!

"I'm _not_ a kangaroo, mate. I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny," Bunnymund said, narrowing his eyes at Pitch and running his paw over his boomerang.

Tooth flew between them, and sighed, looking up at North. "Even though I don't want to admit it, North… but Pitch Black is right… or partially right. I mean, now Jack is a dangerous being! Who knows what he might do? We must save him! That is our priority right now!" Tooth curled her fingers into a fist. She looked down and thought about it for a moment, her wings fluttering quickly behind her. "I…I'm going to go look for him," Tooth said, her pink eyes showing her determination in finding her friend.

"Tooth! We have to ask Pitch what is going on about this first!" North shouted, waving his arm in the air while still holding onto Pitch. Pitch wobbled in his hand and shook his head, disorientated. "We need to know exactly what he did to Jack. Once we know the problem, we can treat it. We find way to treat Jack Frost. We don't mess around with dangerous thing. We do that, we get Jack back easy!" North gestured, his blue eyes brightening to show that he thought that that was a good idea.

"Uhhh, I'm not quite sure I agree with you on that one, mate," Bunny said thoughtfully. "Because…"

Sandy floated up into the air, and gestured towards the town of Burgess, alarmed. The sand around him flowed in anxiety, his golden eyes wide. Bunny, North, Tooth and Pitch looked towards the town, and looked in horror as they saw hailstones raining down on the town in a shocking blizzard. It was coming towards them. The wind around the lake was picking up.

"… Okay, I change my mind," North said, and then raised Pitch towards Sandy. "Sandy, tie him up, nice and tight,"

* * *

"Jamie! Get inside!"

Jamie, a sixteen year old boy, looked up to the skies , his brown hair framing his round face. His brown eyes were large as he stared at the hailstones falling from the skies. "I'm coming, mom!" He said, and ran through the door to his house, closing it behind him. "Sophie's here?" He asked, and there was a small grunt of answer from upstairs. At least his sister was safe in the house already.

Jamie took off his coat and hung it on the coat stand before making his way up to his room. Closing his room door behind him, he winced at the loud clattering coming from his window. The hailstones were coming down hard, and the violent winds outside was making his windows rattle. Jamie sat on his bed, looking out of his window. It has been a few years since he had seen Jack Frost. Every year, snow day came early, much to his delight since he had already started school – and hated it. He always looked forward to snow day – it reminded him of Jack and how he had hugged him before they parted.

Just yesterday, the first snow fell, much to Jamie's delight, and he actually felt something cold nip at his nose. It was most likely Jack Frost conjuring up an icy cold but refreshing wind which caused his nose to tingle.

But… all of a sudden, it began to hail. What was going on? Was Jack angry? Or maybe Jack was not here to control the winter weather this year… but why? Winter in Burgess was always pleasant. It was the first time in history they ever had something like this.

Jamie got up and went over to the window, looking out of it. The hailstones crackled against the glass, and Jamie narrowed his eyes to see if he can spot Jack. "Jack Frost… if you can hear me… Please come, this is terrible," Jamie whispered, hoping that Jack would come again…

_Crash!_

Jamie gasped, and stumbled backwards. A pane had cracked on the left window – the same one which Jack Frost made a rabbit leap out of. Jamie stepped back, shocked by the impact in which the hailstone caused.

Then he saw it.

In the white blizzard of hail and ice… he saw a figure in the sky outside the window. White hair, and a black hoodie. Jamie's eyes widened. He saw what that figure was holding – a crooked staff. "Jack Frost…" Jamie whispered, and a smile of excitement spread onto his face. "He really came! Haha! He really c-" Jamie wanted to go forwards when he saw the figure fall towards the ground.

"Jack!" Jamie yelled, and he heard a loud crash downstairs. "Mom! What happened?!" Jamie yelled, running down the stairs at top speed, and saw his mother and sister standing in front of the door. His mother looked up at him, shaking her head.

"Don't come here, Jamie. Take your sister to the room," His mother said, grasping his arm and pulling him away from the door. Jamie glanced at her, and then at the door. "What's going on? What was that crash?" Jamie asked, confused and afraid. He just saw Jack Frost fall from the sky. Did something happen?

The doorknob rattled.

Jamie gasped, and his mother stared at the door, alarmed. "Stay back, Jamie," Mother said, as Jamie hugged his sister. "J-Jamie… what is that?" Sophie asked, her eyes wide.

"Help…"

"It's someone, mom!" Jamie cried. Could it be…? Jamie ran forward towards the door. "Jamie! What are you doing?!" Sophie cried, clinging onto her mother instead.

Jamie swung open the front door, and looked down at his doorstep.

A boy with brown hair, wearing a brown cape and brown, frayed trousers lay in front of his door. His cape was covered with ice and hail, and he was covering his head. "Help me…" The boy said weakly, and raised his head. Jamie stared down at him, shocked. This boy's clothes were strange. Even stranger was that… his face looked oddly familiar.

The boy with the brown hair fell forwards, and Jamie caught him, pulling him into his house and closing the door behind him. "Mom! Come and help me, I think he's hurt!" Jamie cried, looking back. His mother and sister had already rushed forward, and tried to help the boy up. "He seems very weak… and what strange clothes," His mother commented. Then swinging the mysterious boy's arms over his shoulder, Jamie helped him up the stairs to his room.

"What is your name?" Jamie asked, looking at the boy he was supporting. "What happened?"

"I…I fell…" The boy said weakly. Jamie noticed that he had brown eyes – just like himself. The boy sighed weakly, before raising his head to look at Jamie, looking confused. "My name…?" The boy whispered, and he paused again. Did he forget his own name? Then Jamie saw his eyes brightening slightly, before the boy turned to look at him again.

"My name… is Jack Overland…"

* * *

**O.O GASP. JACK OVERLAND?! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GoING ON?! AJASHLJKASHA. Please read and review! THANKS, I love you guys. All your reviews are very encouraging!**


	4. The Two Jacks

"We have to help him! Jack… he isn't evil, he's just- gasp!" Tooth exclaimed, fluttering to and fro above the globe. She had turned to look at the globe, and her purple eyes widened. "The globe… there is something wrong with it!" Tooth pointed at the globe, her hand over her mouth.

North, Sandy and Bunny who were gathered around the fireplace for warmth turned to look at the globe. The North Pole had gotten chillier lately, and the Guardians had no doubt that Jack played a part in this. North stepped up to the globe, watching it as the yetis and elves huddled together for warmth.

"Goodness me…! What is this? The continents… they are turning white!" North cried, his blue eyes widening. Sure enough, the Guardians watched in horror as the green African, American, Europe and Asian continents began to turn white, resembling the North and South poles on the axis. "It's the blizzards…" Bunny muttered, stepping up to the globe, his green eyes filled with horror. "They're causing the continents to turn into ice lands…"

"We have to stop this," North said with a heavy tone as he watched the globe turn white. North looked up into the snowy sky through the window, and noticed that the moon was not there. "Manny… now more than ever, we need your help…"

"He's always silent, and he's always staring," Came a snarl from a small golden cage beside the fireplace, in the darkness. A pair of golden-silver eyes watched the Guardians from behind the bars of the cage. Tied up by golden sand, Pitch was helpless in the cage made of Sandy's dreamsand. "He _never_ does anything," Pitch said in a scathing tone. Pitch shivered slightly.

North turned to look at the imprisoned boogeyman, and walked over to the cage, his feet thumping on the wooden floorboards. "Pitch… It is not just us who are suffering from this, you are too!" North billowed, waving his hand at the globe. "Look at what you've done – you've not made yourself stronger. You've set to end the world! For good! Then there will be no children left to believe in us, even if you wished for it!"

Pitch narrowed his eyes. He growled, and wanted to say something. But he knew North was right, and there was no way he could argue his way out of it. "Find Frost then. And you can do whatever you want to us,"

"Oooh, you bet we will, mate," Bunny warned, before tapping his feet on the ground twice. A tunnel opened up on the ground – it was Bunnymund's favorite mode of transport. "I have an idea of where Frostbite might be… Wait for my news," Bunny told his colleagues, before he leapt into the tunnel.

"We must do something too," Tooth said, looking from Sandy to North. North and Sandy exchanged looks, and nodded, determined to do their part in stopping Jack Frost's rampage across the globe.

* * *

"_Cold winds at 200 miles per hour, ice and hailstorm worldwide and even near the equator – this is what experts would call a severe kind of weather phenomenon. Some religious leaders and internet users even went as far as to say that the day of apocalypse is coming near. More 24 hours round the clock news report soon, stay tuned…" _

"Ah… Jack," Jamie said slowly, watching with much amusement at the brown haired boy squatting next to the plasma television. "What are you so curious about?" Jamie asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back on his couch.

Jack Overland squatted beside the television as the news clip began to play, showing images of blizzards and hailstorms across the globe. He prodded at the television, narrowing his brown eyes, and peered behind the television at the assortment of wires and connections.

"Hey Jamie, this thing is so flat, but a person can fit inside it… how did she get in there? And how did they put a blizzard in this strange… thin box? Where did the girl go?" Jack asked, smiling in an oddly amused manner as well. He knocked lightly on the television and put a ear close to it, frowning.

"It is called a television, and no, haha! Jack, the people aren't in this box physically. Well, they use a camera, which transmits images to this screen, which project these images," Jamie tried his best to explain, and looked at Jack, beaming hopefully. Perhaps he will be able to understand what Jamie was trying to say. Then Jamie sighed, and went over to Jack, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"You… really don't remember anything? Are you like just a very bored guy trying to play tricks on people?" Jamie asked, looking serious. Jack stood up, his brown cape falling behind him. His brown eyes were wide. "Y-You don't believe me?" Jack asked, shocked. "I really, really don't know how I got here! I mean…" Jack walked away from the TV set, his eyes still wide, and stood next to a lamp. His eyes softened, and he sighed, pushing the lamp cover with his finger, surveying the floral patterns on it. "…I mean I, only remembered falling. Falling into a lake, and it was dark and cold and… and then I was here," Jack turned around to look at Jamie, wondering if this boy would believe him.

Jamie narrowed his eyes. He had been taught to believe, and he was a believer. "So… you're saying you're a time traveler?" Jamie asked. Jack blinked and shrugged. "There might be a chance that I was someone like that?" Jack said, unsure.

"Cool!" Jamie exclaimed, smiling widely. "So what was your life like before you came to the future?"

"Oh, we always had story time beside the bonfire every single night, the whole village would be there! And also, we climb trees and see who can stay on the tallest branch for the longest times. We also perform tricks, and I was always the best at it," Jack said proudly. Then he narrowed his eyes, a smile coming to his face.

"Awesome! How about when you were a child? Did the Tooth Fairy already exist? And Santa Claus! And also, the Easter Bunny! And the Sandman! And Jack Frost!" Jamie bounced onto the couch, watching Jack earnestly. He was getting excited.

"…" Jack paused, the smile gone from his face. Then he looked to Jamie. "Hahaha, there is no such thing. Well, I did believe in them when I was young. But you do know that it always is your parents who actually stick a quarter under your pillow-"

Jamie's eyes widened, and he shook his head, leaping up and grabbing Jack by his shoulders. Jack was taken aback by his sudden move and found himself staring down at Jamie. "You can't say that… they're real, all of them. I talked to all of them… including…" Jamie blinked as he stared at Jack's face in close proximity. Jamie paused, his eyes widening, and his jaw dropping. Jack blinked at him, gulping. He wondered what has gotten into the younger boy…?

"Jack… Frost?" Jamie whispered, as he looked at Jack closely. "You look exactly like him,"

"Like who?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes. After a pause, Jack continued. "Who… is Jack Frost?"

"Uh, you mean you've never heard of him? Or believed in him?" Jamie asked, surprised. Then he realized something. He was actually one of the first to see Jack. That means that… in the past, Jack Frost was not well-known, or even known at all. "Ah… I guess no one did know him back then, but he had the same name as you, Jack," Jamie told Jack and smiled gently.

"He was the one who brings us all the fun during winter," Jamie explained, waving his hand towards the window. The hail was coming down hard. "He's the Guardian of Fun,"

"That looks totally… fun," Jack said sarcastically, rubbing his hand on top of his head where some of the hail hit him, gesturing towards the window. Jamie turned and glared at him, and Jack looked away, not saying another word. Whoops.

"I want to see him," Jamie told Jack, watching the hailstones bounce off his window sill. "I want to know why he caused a hailstorm… or isn't here to stop one," Jamie looked sad, his brown eyes filled with what seemed like tears. Jack watched Jamie, and looked down. He knew the boy was sad… Jack hated to see people being sad.

"Well, I'm sure he'll come by some day," Jack assured Jamie, placing his hand on Jamie's shoulder. Jamie looked back at Jack, and sighed. It seemed like Jamie was still feeling down. Jack watched Jamie for a moment, frowning. "I'm sure he will…"

"Uaah!" Jack cried out , grasping his chest. Jamie spun around, alarmed. He grabbed onto Jack's shoulders, eyes widening. "Jack? What's wrong?"

"Ughh…" Jack wanted to answer, but the pain in his chest was getting stronger. His legs felt weak, and he kneeled down to the ground, bent over. It was painful.

"Mom! Mom!" Jamie yelled, trying to help Jack up. Jack grasped onto Jamie's arm, wincing horribly. Jack was in a lot of pain. "Mom!" Jamie yelled again, when he saw that no one was coming. "Oh..." Jack breathed out. Jamie watched in horror as Jack slipped from his grasp and fell onto the carpeted ground with a thud, his hands falling limply beside him.

* * *

Bunnymund leapt across the snow and covered ground of the South Pole. It was cold, and the winds were too strong. Bunny looked around him, crouched down. He could not stand up without being blasted by the icy cold wind and risk being frozen on the spot. "Brrr… it's cold!" Bunny muttered, while still keeping a lookout.

"He should be here…" Bunnymund sniffed the cold icy air a couple of times and winced as the frosty air bit his nose and lungs. "Owch. The cold is one annoying thing, Frostbite. It's a good thing you are originally a Guardian and not a twerp like Pitch," Bunny said his comment out loud for himself to hear. Bunny leapt forwards a few more steps before he stopped in his tracks, sitting up, his ears on full alert. They twitched and swiveled around, sensing that something was amiss.

A shockwave of dark and cold hit him, and Bunny tumbled backwards, doing a few somersaults. Good thing there was snow, or he would have broke something. Sitting up and placing a paw on his head, he looked up to see a figure floating up in the skies. The wind was strong and visibility was poor, but Bunny could make out who he was.

"Jack Frost!" Bunny called out, and he leapt forwards. He kept his green eyes on the Guardian of Fun, trying his very best to get to where Jack was as soon as possible.

Bunny slid to a stop, when he noticed that there was something wrong. Jack was writhing in the skies. He was in pain, clutching at his chest, his body curled into a ball. Another wave of darkness and cold exploded from the boy, and Bunny did a couple of somersaults again. "I can't get close… what's wrong with him?" Bunny whispered to himself, watching the boy writhe in pain helplessly.

* * *

**I just went around cinemas as Jack Frost again :P if you want to see my Jack frost (fail) cosplay, visit Sixteenation on deviantart at sixteenation . deviantart . com :D**

**AND... just what is going on with Jack? and it seemed like there are two Jacks? One from the past, and one evil one from the present... or is it? **

**And I have read your comments on my fiction. Hey, not bad at all! You guys can keep guessing – I can't tell you if you're right or not! I've got this story pretty much planned out, but I am open for new ideas. I like to take ideas from reviewers, I think it'd be exciting for me to write it down too!**


	5. Moon is Calling

"Blimey, mate," Bunny whispered as he stared up at the boy curled up into a ball. As he got closer, he realized something was not right. The boy was not clutching his chest… he was digging into his own chest. Jack Frost's hand was embedded in his chest, and black liquid and spurting out of him. Even though he was in pain, his scarlet eyes narrowed, Jack continued to dig… as if he was searching for something inside him.

"T-This is… This is crazy!" Bunny muttered, as he looked at the liquid collecting on the snow and turning into black ice crystals. "This isn't nightmare sand… It has turned into something else!" Bunny realized.

"Frostbite! Stop that!" Bunny yelled, as he leapt up, trying to reach Jack with his paws. "You'll kill yourself!" Bunny took one final leap, and managed to grab onto Jack's ankle. He hung on with both his paws, bobbing up and down in the strong wind with Jack. Jack was still digging a his own chest, ignoring the fact that Bunnymund was dangling off his right ankle.

"Hey mate! Stop doing that! What in the wor-" Bunny yelled.

"**My center! It's gone!**" Jack yelled. Bunny's eyes widened. That voice… That voice was not Jack's voice. It was diabolical. It sounded like a few Pitch Blacks were speaking at the same time – this Jack Frost's voice was sharp, full of hatred, full of agony. "**It escaped! I will find it…!**" The Jack hissed, and pulled his hand out of his chest. His left hand held his staff, and his right hand was dripping with the black liquid.

Some of the liquid dripped down onto Bunnymund's nose and he gasped, trying to shake it off.

Jack Frost stared down at his ankle, where Bunny was holding on to. His scarlet eyes narrowed in annoyance. Bunny looked up at Jack and his eyes widened. "Uh oh."

* * *

"He'll be fine, Jamie dear," Jamie's mother said, sitting on Jamie's bed. Jamie stood beside his bed, his eyes filled with concern for the boy now lying on it. Jamie's mother ran a hand over Jack's brown hair, and rested it on his forehead. "He's not having a fever, I can't send him to the doctor's unless the hailstorm stops," Jamie looked up at his mother, and gave her a hug. Jack was lying on Jamie's bed, the covers pulled over him till it reached his chin. His head rested on a soft fluffy pillow and his eyes were closed. His soft breathing could be heard in the silence of the room.

"Mom… I hope Jack's going to be okay, can he stay here? Until he recovers?" Jamie asked as he pulled back. Jamie's mother looked from her son to Jack Overland, and she sighed, smiling slightly. "Well… I find him hard to believe, but I guess it can't be helped, can it?" Jamie's mother said, and patted his head gently. "Now go and sleep. Jack needs his rest. We'll take him to the hospital once it is safe to go out,"

Jamie left his room, and turned to smile at his mother. "Goodnight, mom. Goodnight, Jack," Jamie said softly, and closed the door behind him.

Jamie's mother touched her hand to Jack's cheek again, sighing. As she was about to get up, she heard a small moan behind her. "Uhh…" She turned back, looking at Jack. Jack stirred, and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around, the first thing coming to his view was the ceiling. Then he turned his head slightly, and Jamie's mother came into view.

"Oh, Mrs. Bennett," Jack said weakly, and sat up in Jamie's bed. "W-Where am I? What happened?"

"Jack," Mrs Bennett said gently, sitting down on the bedside again. Jack looked at her with a surprised look, before smiling a little. Mrs Bennett smiled too. "You collapsed just now. Does your chest still hurt?" She asked, concerned.

Jack touched his chest, and felt a different fabric under his hand. He looked down to see that he was dressed in a blue hoodie, but his pants remained unchanged. No wonder he felt warm… it was such a strange feeling. It was as if he had never felt warmth for at least three centuries. But he was sure he had sat with his sister and friends around the bonfire last night… before he came here. Then why does warmth feel so… strange to him? Like it was something unfamiliar?

His chest was throbbing. It did not hurt anymore. "It… doesn't hurt anymore," Jack said, looking up at Mrs Bennett. Then he gave her a wide smile. "This hoodie…"

"It belonged to Jamie," Mrs Bennett said, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack was surprised at that touch. Jack looked up at Mrs Bennett. "I-Is it okay, for me to wear this?" He had never been given clothes before. He made all his own clothes, including his cape, vest. His shirt belonged to his father.

"Of course it is… Jamie picked it out for you. I was surprised, since he bought this pullover, but never worn it. He always kept it hanging on his wall, right there…" Mrs Bennett said, pointing over to Jack's left side. Jack turned to look, and saw the corner of Jamie's room filled with drawings, and pictures. Most were of him playing with snow. Some drawings looked old, and the recent ones looked more detailed and skilled. Perhaps he kept some of those drawings from young?

Jack got out of bed, and stepped towards the wall, seeing each picture with much curiosity. He placed his hand on a drawing of a boy in a blue hoodie, with white hair and grey-blue eyes. Jack ran his hand over that drawing, looking at it closely. A frown appeared on Jack's face, as he felt something strange in his chest. This boy in the drawing seemed so familiar to him.

"I… I see," Jack said, nodding. It took some effort for him to tear his eyes away from the drawings. He looked back at Mrs Bennett. "Is that Jack Frost?" Jack asked, pointing at the drawing he was just looking at.

"Yes, it is," Mrs Bennet said, standing up and walking over to join Jack near the corner of the room. She smiled as she looked at all of her son's drawings of Jack Frost, and the other Guardians. "It was amazing. Most of his friends already stopped thinking about fairies and bigfoot, but he always tells me that they're real… even though he's already 16," Mrs Bennett turned to Jack. "I used to believe in them too. However, reality took over. I just hope that Jamie will just keep his fantasy Guardians as part of his childhood memory,"

Mrs Bennet then walked over to the door, before looking back at Jack. "Call us if you need anything. Jamie has given you his room tonight. Rest well, Jack. Goodnight, " Mrs Bennett smiled, closing the door behind her.

Jack stood there for a few moments, before pulling the hood of the blue pullover over his head. He blinked, and then smiled as he felt warmer than before. He loved this feeling. Then he looked back at the walls, seeing every single drawing that Jamie had drawn. Slowly walking, he made his way to the window, and saw that there was a crack on it. The hailstorm had stopped, but he could hear the wind howling outside the window. Snow was rushing past in the night air, causing the window to frost up.

Reaching up with a finger, Jack touched the cracked pane, and drew a circle. He smiled, and then gave out a laugh. The circle soon misted over, and it was gone again. He drew another one. Then his eyes narrowed. Something bright was shining through the window. Jack looked up, into the sky. The snow was beginning to clear. Through that storm and the misty window… he could see something huge, and bright.

It was the moon.

* * *

"Bunny! What happened?!" North exclaimed, seeing the black stuff all over Bunnymund. "Have you been attacked?" North tried to brush off the liquid, but it stuck to his hand like non-Newtonian liquid. It seemed to flow, but then when you touch it, it becomes viscous and hard to manage. It stuck to his fingers like goo.

"Uh eww," North muttered, staring at the goo with his wide black eyes. Bunny growled, and tried to wipe the black stuff off him. "I haven't been attacked, mate. In fact, I've been ignored by him," Bunny said, his voice heavy. "He just kicked me off his ankle and flew off to god knows where again. This is serious North! I don't see any black sand on him. He's just full of this stuff…" Bunny held up some of the goo. Tooth flew through the window, and hovered beside Bunny.

"I'm here! Oh!" Tooth said, as she saw how Bunnymund looked. "That's… disgusting. What happened, Bunny? Did Jack do this to you?" Tooth was worried. Bunny did look terrible.

"Well, it's all very well done, Bunny. Now we can really see what is going on inside Jack," North said, holding up a finger and smiling. "Now I'll just have to get all these runny stuff off of you, yes? Come with me!" North grabbed Bunny by the back of his neck, and dragged the rabbit off to the his workshop. North passed by a sleeping Sandy by the fireplace. "Sandy. Sandy, it's time to wake up. No more sleeping," North said, nudging the golden little guy before continuing his way.

Pitch sat in his cage, glaring as North went past. Then he realized something.

"What are we going to do, Sandy? I'm afraid…" Tooth said, as she hovered next to Sandy. Sandy looked up at her, shaking his head. He made a symbol of a thumbs up, and patted Tooth on her shoulder gently. Then he made a figure of Jack. That Jack had a smile on his face. Tooth looked at it, and her purple eyes softened. "Yes… I am sure he'll be fine. Though… I wonder what is that black liquid? It is not fear… it is-" Tooth looked down thoughtfully.

"It is _anger_ ," A chuckled came from the darkness behind them.

"Pitch…!" Tooth turned back, glaring at the boogeyman. Sandy did the same, sand streaming from his hands in preparations to defend himself. "What do you mean… anger?"

"Well… I see fear had turned itself into anger. That little rabbit did play a part in that transformation," Pitch said, a grin and his golden and silver eyes visible in the shadows.

"You played the biggest part in this Pitch, you'll pay for this if anything happens to Jack!" Tooth cried, rushing forwards to punch Pitch again, but Sandy held her back, glaring at Pitch. Pitch stared at them and hissed. "You should be wondering why it turned into anger, little fairy! Jack Frost was the center of it all. He was filled with so much anger!" Pitch gave a howling laughter, before sinking into the shadows. "I'll be happy to watch this unfold… and watch as the winds and snow and ice channel Jack Frost's anger. Ohhh, how wonderfully cold and frozen this world would become. It would be just like during the Ice Age!"

Tooth and Sandy looked at each other, their eyes widening in fear. "Jack…!" Tooth whispered.

* * *

Jack Overland blinked up at the moon. He could hear only the howling of the winds.

The moon was bright, but it was fading fast in the raging blizzard. Jack was already surprised to see it. During storms, the moon was invisible. But now, it was in the skies.

It seemed to be telling him something… but he could not hear it. Then the windows rattled. The wind was ratting it so hard, Jack thought that it would burst open. Jack stepped backwards, alarmed. His brown eyes widened, and he looked up at the moon again.

He knew. He knew in that instant there was something he seemed to have forgotten. It was a terrible feeling – like you just know you can remember something, but it was dangling at the edge of your thoughts, and no matter how hard you tried you could not remember what it was.

Jack saw the moonlight take a strange turn. It shone its flickering and fading light into Jamie's room… and then it shifted, over houses, over roads… and… into the forest nearby. It stayed there, beaming its light over the trees. Jack looked from the moon to where it shed its light on. He knew he had to go there.

Jack turned, and opened the door, running down the stairs. He ran past Jamie, who was sleeping on the couch in the living room, and threw open the front door. As he ran out, the cold wind entered the house, and Jamie woke, blinking. "Uh…" Jamie looked up from where he had been sleeping, and saw Jack. Jack was in just the blue hoodie and brown pants, running barefoot across the street before disappearing into the blizzard.

"Jack?" Jamie's eyes widened and he got up from the couch, grabbing his coat and putting it on. He had to go after Jack. "Jack! Come back! It's not safe out there!" Jamie cried, and put on his boots. He ran into the storm, towards where he saw Jack was headed.

Jamie had to get him back in.

* * *

**Yeah~ another chapter ****  
Thanks for the reviews. I can say I'm super duper happy!  
**

**Here are some replies:**

**Higashimaya:** Hehehe :3 Sorry, I forgot to moderate Anon reviews, but now I have! Thanks for the suggestion! I changed his clothes in this chapter. I actually intended to let him continue to wear his brown cape and all, because it's cute D: ! But then I decided that, yeah, he SHOULD change his clothes. But I made him wear his blue hoodie again :3 YAY and I will always support YOU ! Love!

**Jack's Sister:** Ohmmooo, my dearest sister ! Rest be assured… There will something planned for later… It is going to have something to do with choice… He will have to choose.

**Nad: **it is ok to fangirl :') LET'S DO IT TOGETHER!

**DC**: Maybbbbe? :) I don't know. Yet. I let my fingers do all the work. And I can say you actually got the gist of it! Genius! :D

**Please continue to read! What will happen to Jack? Where is he going?**

**PS: You don't have to go to my Deviantart to see my cos. Just click the story icon above! ^^ (yep... that's me D:)**


	6. Guardian Returns

"We have to hurry!" North exclaimed, cracking his reins on his reindeers, driving them across the sky. In the blizzard, it was hard to see anything ahead of them. Their faces were frozen stiff as well. Tooth, Bunny and Sandy clung onto the sides of the sleigh, with Pitch rattling in the golden cage behind.

"The wind is too strong!" Tooth cried, clinging onto the wood with all her strength.

"The cage is going to fly off, you dimwits!" Pitch yelled from inside his rattling cage. "Where are the bloody seatbelts?!"

"There's no bloody seatbelts on this sleigh mate! Just shut up and wish you don't fly off!" Bunnymund turned to yell at Pitch. Pitch gave an annoyed expression, before grabbing onto the golden solid sand that made up his cage. He tried to turn the sand into nightmares in order to escape, but he could not. It seemed like Sandy had taken some precautions this time. Pitch could only sit and hope he wouldn't fly off the sleigh.

Sandy made a sign of a man shivering above his head while clinging onto the sides of the sleigh, but that sign soon blew away in the blizzard. Sandy watched the sand blow away and made an 'uh-oh' expression.

"Hah! No such thing as too strong! My babies can brave through this! We're made ready!" North billowed over the howling of the wind, and ignored the ice slapping against his cheeks.

The sleigh jerked downwards, tossing everybody upwards slightly. "Uh, turbulence?" Bunny asked, raising one of his rabbit eyebrows. "North, I saw a wing snap off on this side mate!" He yelped, glancing over the side of the sleigh. The sleigh jerked again, this time even harder. "Whoa!" Bunny yelled, grabbing onto the sides with his life. Tooth gave a little scream and Pitch cried out something indiscernible. "A-Are we still okay?" Tooth asked, looking around at the air around them.

North turned around to look at them, giving an awkward smile. "Nope, we're going down!"

Bunnymund, Sandy, Pitch and Tooth looked at each other, and then turned back to look at North together. "AHHHHHHHH!" They all screamed as the sleigh dived down towards the ground, one of its wings missing.

* * *

"Hah… hah…" Jack's panted as he ran towards the lake in the blizzard. He had his hoodie up on his head, and he held it tightly at his neck. Jack stopped running, coming to a halt as he saw where the moon was beaming its light on. It was the surface of the lake.

Jack looked up into the sky, the wind and snow whipping against his hoodie. The moon can barely be seen now. Jack watched, his brown eyes widening as the moon disappeared behind dark clouds. It was really cold… so cold… Jack winced and stuck his hands in his hoodie, panting hard. His body was starting to become numb. Maybe he should have grabbed his coat before he came out here in this blizzard…

It is too late to turn back now. Jack looked up, still stamping his bare feet in this snow to get his blood flowing again. He should go and check it out. "This all isn't real… is it?" Jack muttered to himself, thinking about what Jamie had told him just yesterday. Something about the Easter Bunny… Jack Frost…

"Isn't this…" Jack whispered, as he stepped closer to the edge of the lake. Then his eyes widened as he surveyed the surrounding. "This place… this lake!" He said aloud. He recognized the rocks, the shape of the lake. the surroundings. They have changed – perhaps a little, but the shape and the surroundings… it was all too familiar.

"This… This is the lake! This is the lake I fell into when I saved my sister…" Jack said, standing at the edge of the frozen lake, his brown eyes wide with realization.

"**I've found you,"**

A deep, dark voice said. The blizzard got stronger all of a suddenly, and Jack stepped backwards, bring his hands up. "It's cold…!" Jack exclaimed, shivering. "Oh… Oh god…" Jack breathed, tucking his head in and arching his shoulders. It was getting colder. It was dark too…

Cold and dark.

Jack raised his head when he saw someone standing in the middle of the lake. Jack squinted, and saw a boy, holding a stick. A stick that looked awfully familiar. That boy had silver-white hair, and was wearing a black hoodie. His eyes were a fierce scarlet red that glowed like hot coals. Jack's eyes widened and he felt his legs give way at the sight of the boy. Falling down to the snow, Jack scrambled backwards in the snow, his hoodie falling back to reveal his brown hair.

Fear…

The dark Jack stepped across the ice slowly. His face had no expression, and Jack did notice that the dark Jack had the exact same face as him. They were identical except for their hair and eyes… and the hoodie.

"Jack!" A voice came from behind him.

"Jamie!" Jack cried out, and turned to see his friend running towards him from behind. Jack was relieved to see Jamie, because he had no idea what was going on. Dark Jack looked up at the source of the voice, a small frown appearing on his face. His scarlet eyes darkened.

Jamie stumbled a little, before stopping beside Jack at the edge of the lake. "Jack, you shouldn't be out- who…who is that…?" Jamie said, as he laid eyes upon the dark figure advancing towards them slowly. Jack stood up from the ground and stood in front of Jamie, his arms outstretched.

"This must have something to do with me, he looks just like me!" Jack exclaimed. He was afraid, but perhaps this was his way home? He could return to his sister… back in time…

"Jack… Frost…"

"What?" Jack turned to look at Jamie. He almost could not hear the boy over the howling wind.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH-!"

"Huh?" Jamie looked up in the air, and so did dark Jack. Jamie's eyes widened when he saw that above him, a huge sleigh with a tangled bunch of reindeers were falling down towards the lake. "Ah!" Jamie exclaimed, pointing up above. Even dark Jack looked surprised. "They're coming down! They're going to crash into the lake!" Jamie yelled.

Jack frowned. "I was asking you, what did you say just now? And I don't see anything-" Jack said, turning around to look at whatever Jamie was looking at.

_BOOM!_

The lake exploded in a splash of ice and water as dark Jack leapt aside. "Look out!" Jack yelled, and embraced Jamie protectively. The water and ice hit Jack's back and he gasped, the cold biting into his bare skin through the hoodie. "Jack!" Jamie cried. Jack let go of Jamie, wincing as he looked back at the lake. "W-What was that?!" Jack exclaimed.

Jamie looked over Jack's shoulder.

North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunny climbed out of the hole in the ice, together with the reindeers, dripping wet and cold. "Oh that was… that was… uuuuuugh," Bunny exclaimed, and look as If he was about to vomit. North squeezed the water out of his fur hat and his beard, shaking his head.

Tooth shook the water out of her wings and shivered, as Sandy climbed out of the water and fell over, rolling a little on the ground. Tooth looked up at the two standing at the edge of the lake. Jamie was staring straight at them, while… the brown haired boy was looking around at the surface of the lake.

"…Jamie! And… Jack!" Tooth exclaimed, as she recognized the brown haired boy. She flew forwards. The blizzard had subsided suddenly, leaving only the peaceful drifting of the snow from the skies. "Jack! You're back! Your hair… it's turned brown, and so did your eyes!" Tooth said excitedly, her eyelashes fluttering as she admired the boy in front of her.

"You… know him?" Jamie asked Tooth, blinking.

"Jamie!" Tooth exclaimed. "How you've grown up! I wished I could have collected more teeth from you… you flossed so well! And of course we know Jack…" Tooth looked to the brown haired boy.

"…I know who?" Jack asked, turning back to look at Jamie. "I don't know that guy, except that he looked just like me," Jack muttered, glaring over at the dark Jack, who was looking at the Guardians warily.

"Wait… Jack," Jamie asked, moving in front of Jack. "You mean you can't see them?" Jamie asked, waving a hand towards the Guardians behind him.

"Oh boy, there are TWO Jacks right now?" Bunnymund exclaimed, looking from the brown-haired Jack to the dark Jack Frost baring his teeth at the Guardians, holding his staff ready. "One Guardian of Mischief is enough already," Bunnymund said, sighing.

"Jack?" North asked, walking up to Jack. But Jack Overland does not see them.

"See who? I don't see anybody… I get it, this is all a trick you're trying to play on me, right Jamie?" Jack laughed, slapping his forehead. He turned to Jamie, grinning. "You used your future… things and methods to create this… really great prank," Jack patted Jamie on the back. "You had me going there Jamie! If you wanted to have some fun, you just had to say so! I know a lot of fun things to do together!" Jack said excitedly.

Jamie shook his head, looking at Jack with disbelief. "The Guardians! You don't see them! You… You don't believe in them!"

"Of course I do, Jamie… I used to believe in them… But they're not real," Jack said sadly, placing a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Your mother… she was worried about you. She told me that she wanted you to stop all this… imaginary nonsense. You're grown up now. There is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy, or the Sandman. "

"No! You're wrong!" Jamie yelled, slapping Jack's hand away from his shoulder. Jamie stepped back from Jack. Jack's eyes widened. "Jamie…?" He whispered.

"Jack…" Tooth exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror. "H-He… He doesn't believe in us…?" North, Sandy and Bunny's eyes widened as they looked at Jack Overland.

"**Stop… ignoring me!**" The dark Jack yelled, slamming his staff into the ice. A wave of darkness issued from him again, knocking the Guardians backward slightly. Jamie cried out as they all tumbled across the ice. Jack was knocked over too. "Ahh!" Jack landed on his back on the snow, and just as he recovered, something heavy landed on him, pushing him down onto the snow.

"Ah!" Jack looked up to see his dark twin on top of him. The dark Jack's hand was clamped around his warm neck. Jack stared up in fear at the dark Jack's scarlet eyes. They were ready to swallow him whole…

"**I've found you… center,"** Dark Jack hissed, his voice filled with hate and anger. "**Darn you for escaping… Now I have you again.**"

"It… It can't be…" North muttered as he sat up from the ice. "Jack… Jack's center?"

"You mean his center had separated from his… powers?" Tooth asked, shocked. "Was that even possible?!"

"Probably his center was trying to protect the goodness in Jack… which is why it escaped the black liquid! If we could somehow expel the anger out of him, and also put the center back with his powers, we can have Jack Frost back nice and whole again!" North exclaimed, and now he had an idea. But… "Where's Pitch?" North muttered, looking around the area of the Lake.

"What center are you talking about!" Jack gasped under the deathly cold grip of his evil self. "I'm Jack Overland! I… I don't know what you are…"

"**It is agonizing! Get back inside me!**" Dark Jack yelled, shaking Jack roughly by his neck. Jack coughed from the shaking and winced. "N-No…!"

"Jack!" Jamie yelled, sitting on the ice and watching them struggle.

"We have to help the center first!" Tooth said, and zipped towards them. "Hey!" She called out.

Dark Jack turned back, and his scarlet eyes widened as a rainbow fist collided with his face. He flew backwards and landed in the snow, his staff spinning away across the ice. Jamie saw the staff spin past him, scrambled after it.

"Huh?" Jack saw something shining on his chest and picked it up. It was a tooth. He blinked at it, before a quarter hit him square on the forehead. "Ow!" Jack plucked the quarter from his forehead and looked at it. "Tooth Fairy…" Jack whispered, and then she materialized, right in front of his face. Jack's mouth fell open, his brown eyes wide. "Y-You're real?" Jack exclaimed, and he laughed.

Dark Jack touched his cheek, and noticed that a tooth had flown out. It made him all the angrier. But now disarmed, he is unable to do anything… on his own. "**You'll pay for this!"** Dark Jack yelled, and the air around him grew dark with his anger, his scarlet eyes glowing again.

"Uh oh," Tooth whispered, wincing. "I made him angrier. Sorry Jack, for knocking out your tooth, but I don't think the effects last," Tooth told Jack who was staring at her in wonder. "North! Bunny! Sandy! We have to do something!"

"What…?" Jack whispered, and one by one, North, Bunnymund and Sandy materialized in front of his eyes on the lake, spinning their weapons in their hands. Jack sat up, beaming at the sight. "You're all… You're all real… Which means…" Jack looked over at Jamie scrambling towards the staff, and picking it up at the far side of the lake. That staff! He saw it in Jamie's drawings, and he knew that it was that same staff he used to save his sister! These memories… Could it be? "I'm actually… Jack Frost!" Jack whispered, his brown eyes brightening. His memories came flooding back in that instant.

"_Hey wind! Take me home!"_

"_Snow day!"_

"_I'm snowballs and fun times I'm not a Guardian…"_

"_And the Easter Kangaroo…"_

"_Why don't anyone see me…"_

"_You do care!"_

"_You're not bad yourself…"_

"_You… said my name…"_

"_He…He sees me…!"_

"_We're going to have a little fun instead… that's right… that's my center…!"_

"Jack! I got your staff!" Jamie yelled, holding up his staff. Jack looked up, and he laughed. He remembered everything! He was the Guardian of Fun – Jack Frost! How could he have… forgotten. "Ja-" Jack wanted to call out to his first believer, but his expression changed when he saw something loom behind his friend.

"Jamie, watch out!" Jack yelled, getting up as the Guardians zoomed past above him, aiming for the dark Jack Frost behind him.

Behind Jamie, reflected on the rock wall, was a tall shadow in the shape of Pitch Black.

"Behind you!" Jack yelled, slipping on the ice due to his bare feet. He landed hard on his stomach, and looked up, shock in his eyes.

Pitch Black was now right behind Jamie, and the Master of Nightmares grabbed the boy from behind, and the other grasping the staff.

"Oh no…" Jack muttered, and he stood up slowly on the ice.

"We got him!" North said triumphantly behind Jack, as Sandy tied golden sand rope around the dark Jack Frost. The dark jack struggled in the bonds, growling loudly, but unable to escape. Bunnymund turned to look at Jack, and then saw Pitch in the distance, with a hostage and Jack's staff in hand.

"Oh… shucks, we have another problem mates," Bunny muttered.

"Jamie!" Jack yelled, making his way slowly over to Pitch. "Let him go, Pitch!" Jack yelled. He willed his powers to surface, he willed the ice to come to him, the wind to knock Pitch off balance… but he could not. His powers were behind him in another form, corrupted, unusable.

His only hope was the staff. Jack knew that he needed the staff. But he was powerless. "Guys!" He turned around, only to see the darkness spreading from the dark Jack to the rest of the Guardians. "T-This isn't good, mate," Bunnymund exclaimed, watching as the dark liquid climbed up his paw.

"Oh no…!" Tooth watched as her hands turned black as well, and so did Sandy's golden sand. Sandy looked back at Jack, and Jack watched helplessly as the Guardians succumbed to the darkness.

"Guys! No!" Jack yelled, his brown eyes wide. What could he do?!

"Having fun now, Jack?! To think they locked me up in the cage. It looks like I really have to get rid of all of you now, once and for all," Pitch snarled, as Jamie struggled in his grip. Pitch grinned widely, his golden-silver eyes narrowing.

"…Fun," Jack muttered. "It's the only thing I can ever have! I'm so stupid, and weak!" He whispered to himself frustrated. "That's… all I can do…" Jack then realized something. "That is… all I can do?"

"...that's it!" Jack said, his eyes widening.

* * *

**I know my language is terrible! I'm so sorry! But I hope all of you can understand my story!**

**And Higashiyama-san! I updated! Yay! Hahahaha! Thanks for showing me so much support, you're awesome! It really makes me have the strength and power to continue this fic! ^^**

**What can Jack do now? He's powerless, and his Guardian self and his comrades are getting corrupted by the spreading Darkness… Pitch has Jamie, and also his staff! What should he do?!**


	7. Till the Very End

"…That's it…" Jack whispered to himself. Then he straightened up, his brown eyes determined. He knew what he had to do. This… was his center. Now he is only his center.

"Why, Jack Frost?" Pitch asked, watching the unarmed and powerless Jack straighten up in front of him as the Guardians behind him become increasingly encased in the tendrils of darkness. "You're weak and powerless, and look how helpless your Guardians are, and the Moon is not here to see you…" Pitch said slowly, a smile forming on his face. He began to feel stronger. Was it fear he sensed from the Guardians…? Or was it the teen he held in his hand?

Jamie was shaking as he was held by the back of his neck by Pitch. Jamie tried to control his fear, but he could not. It was overflowing.

"You Guardians are pretty useless, I'd say. In the end, I win," Pitch said, grinning. He looked back at the Guardians behind, struggling as the darkness took them.

"Pitch! You son of a half-eaten troll!" Bunnymund yelled, angered by Pitch's sudden gain of power. Bunny yelled out suddenly, as the spread of the darkness quickened.

"Anger only fuels it, rabbit," Pitch said, looking pleased and as if he knew it was going to happen. "Well, that will be your undoing, isn't it? Smash some eggs if you're feeling frustrated, alright?"

"That's enough Pitch," Jack warned, narrowing his eyes. "You did this!"

The dark Jack struggled behind, glaring at Jack. But it seemed to grow weaker… North noticed that as well. "He's fading away…" North muttered weakly, as he watched the dark Jack struggle in vain. The darkness had bound them together.

"Soon the Guardians will become everything they don't want to be, Jack," Pitch whispered. "Fear, anger, oh, how beautifully dark this world is going to become,"

"Shut up!" Jack yelled, running across the ice towards Pitch. Pitch's smile widened even more.

Jack gasped, as he neared Pitch, and something seemed to stop him from moving. Slowing to a stop of the ice, he gasped, and kneeled down onto the ice. He could not do it after all. What was the use? In the end what he needed was the ability to have fun. But anger has taken over him, and taken ideas out of his head, filling his mind with dark thoughts.

Jack looked down at his hands. They were turning black. Jack turned his hands over, watching as the darkness spread in horror. "Jack…!" Jamie cried out, tears in his eyes. "Jack!"

"J-Jamie!" Jack gasped, looking up at the boy struggling in Pitch's hand.

"Goodbye, Guardians. For now it is I, Pitch Black, who is the master behind the beginnings of a new Dark Age," Pitch declared, and laughed, a long, evil and satisfied laugh. In the end everything still landed in his hands. The Guardians are falling into the darkness. They were being taken over by anger and fear. "Finally! I've waited for this day to come," Pitch grinned, looking at the boy in his hand.

"You've been useful, to think all the fuss and anger over a little kid like you, I say excellent job," Pitch raised his eyebrow, and tossed Jamie across the lake. "Ahhhhhh!" Jamie screamed and he landed on the ice, sliding across it before coming to a rest.

"Jamie!" Jack yelled. He could only feel his anger rising, and the pain of the darkness spreading over his body. Pitch looked at the angry Guardians, and tossed the staff across the lake as well. It clattered and slid across the ice like Jamie did, and stopped a few feet away from the boy.

"Decide which is more important, Guardian. The 'fun' of nasty little human emotions, or your powers and existence. No one will believe in you, anymore," Pitch whispered, and gave one final laughter, disappearing into the shadows.

The skies darkened.

"Uhh…" Jack groaned, watching the darkness spread over his hoodie. Then he looked back at his fellow Guardians. They were up to their necks in darkness right now.

"Looks like… this is it, isn't it?" Tooth said sadly, watching the darkness creep slowly up her shoulder. "I… I don't want this, I don't want to see the world end," Tooth said, crying.

"Don't cry, Tooth," North said heavily. "We still have hope,"

"What hope do we have, mate?" Bunnymund muttered. "Look at what we are now,"

Jack remained kneeled on the ice. "….Our duty… is to protect the children," Jack muttered, tears forming in his brown eyes. "Our duties… were to be Guardians. But we cannot even control our own feelings," Jack said, and looked up at Jamie, as a tear fell from his eyes.

Jamie sat up on the ice, looking around at the Guardians, and Jack. His eyes were filled with fear. "J-Jack… Santa…" Jamie whispered, looking at the state of the Guardians he loved so much. "Tooth Fairy… Sandman! Easter Bunny!" Jamie cried, and tears fell from his eyes. "I couldn't protect you! It was all my fault!" Jamie cried, standing up.

"Jamie…" Jack muttered, watching his tears fall. Then Jack smiled slightly. "I'm a Guardian, and I will want to see you smile, and see you safe, even at the very end," Jack said gently, and winced as he got up from the ice. "Let's… have a little fun, shall we?" Jack asked, smiling weakly. "I will protect you Jamie, it isn't over yet,"

"Your staff, Jack!" North gasped, as the darkness crept up his beard. "Use your staff to bind your powers and yourself together! You need your powers. Hurry, he's growing weaker, it'd be easy to expel the darkness and draw out your powers again," North told Jack. Jack looked at Jamie, and smiled. "I'll give it a try," Jack said, a light of determination coming to his brown eyes.

He stepped towards the staff, and Jamie did the same too, smiling earnestly.

_Cracck. _

Jamie gasped, looking at the ice beneath his feet. It was cracking, and it was thin.

"Jamie!" Jack cried, stepping towards the boy, but the ice cracked under his feet too. If he fell in… his human body would…

Jack looked from the staff, which was a few feet away on the thin ice from them, to Jamie. "It… It can't be," Jack whispered, his brown eyes wide. He looked at Jamie… and saw… "T-This… This cannot be," Jack whispered again.

Jamie gasped again, as the ice cracked more, the lines appearing on the crystal layer. "Jack…!"

"Jack! Jamie!" Tooth cried. "No! Jack, quick, get to your staff and quickly merge with your powers-"

Jamie looked up at Jack, his eyes widening. All of them knew. If Jack went to get his staff and get back his powers, he would be too late to save Jamie. If he saved Jamie… there was a good chance that Jack would fall into the ice and die, in his human body.

He had a choice.

Jack could save Jamie, and die.

Jack could get his powers back and save the world… but he will lose Jamie.

Jack looked from the staff, to Jamie's face. Was it too much to sacrifice one child to save many others? But Jamie was his first believer. Jack looked up into the skies, but the moon was nowhere to be seen. He looked to the Guardians, but their expressions gave him no answers. He needed to save the world. If not Pitch would introduce another Dark Ages. And there would be no Guardians to protect the rest of the children in the world.

"Jack… I'm scared,"

Jack's eyes widened, and he looked to Jamie.

He saw… his sister.

"_Jack… I'm scared,"_

"_It's alright… Don't look down, just look at me,"_

"It's alright… Don't look down, just look at me,"

Jack stretched his hand towards Jamie, but he could not reach him. Jamie looked up at Jack with tear filled eyes, shocked. "Jack…" Jamie muttered. His voice quivered. The ice cracked more under him.

"You're going to be fine, you just have to… you just have to believe in me," Jack said, and smiled gently at Jamie.

"Why?" Jamie asked, tears streaming down his face. "Jack… you have to save the rest of the world! I don't…"

"Everything is going to be fine, we're not going to fall in, Jamie. I promise, I'll get you out of there…" Jack whispered, and moved forwards, little closer to Jamie. The ice cracked under his feet too. Jack could feel it buckle under his feet. Jack looked down at his feet, and then up at Jamie again, smiling. He knew, at that moment he had made his decision "I'm a Guardian. My duty… is to protect children. And I'm going to protect you to the very end, Jamie," Jack said quietly, and he stretched out. Both their hands touched. Jamie looked up at Jack, breathing hard, and nodded. Jack smiled at him. "Alright now we're going to have to do something really fun," Jack told Jamie, and grinned. "You know how they do it on trapeze? Like how they catch hold of each other-" The ice beneath them buckled,"-and swing around? We're going to do just that, on the count of three,"

Jamie gulped, grabbing hold of both of Jack's wrists, on the sleeve of his blue hoodie. "You won't trick me? You'll… really be okay?" Jamie asked, his brown eyes filled with worry. Jack paused for awhile, looking at Jamie's face. He really reminded him of his sister… and Mrs Bennett…

The touch of her gentle hands on his forehead. Sleeping in Jamie's warm bed. It was the first time in 300 years he had felt the warmth of a family. This boy… was important to him. Nothing else really mattered.

Jack smiled, his brown eyes gleaming as if there were tears in them. "Not this time… I promise, we're going to be fine," Jack said softly. Then he tightened his grip on Jamie's wrists. "Alright, now…" Jack looked down at the ice. It was about to give way.

The Guardians were watching Jack. Jack gave them one last look, and a smile, and saw all of them there, covered by darkness above their mouths. They were unable to speak, or to yell out to Jack. To tell him to stop. They were going to watch him do this. He saw Tooth struggling, shaking her head, Sandy and Bunny looking horrified, and North… his big blue eyes, filled with what seemed like tears.

Jack turned back to Jamie. "One…" Jamie looked at Jack, breathing hard. He did not want Jack to do this. He was looking into Jack's brown eyes, and somehow… somehow… "Two…" Jamie somehow knew that he'd never see them again… "Three!"

Jack swung Jamie over his head, sending Jamie flying, and landing on the thicker ice a few feet behind him. Jack exhaled, and turned around. Jamie sat up, and looked back frantically at his favorite Guardian.

Jack smiled, and laughed in relief.

"Jack-" Jamie got up, and stretched his hand towards Jack Frost.

And there was a loud crash, and a splash, and the last thing he saw was Jack falling into the dark waters of the lake. The ice cracked all around, and Jamie stumbled backwards. Half the lake has shattered, and the pieces are now floating around, making it difficult for anything to surface again.

"Jack!" Jamie screamed in horror. "Jack! No!" Jamie turned to look at the Guardians, it was a natural reflex. He needed help… He was scared.

The Guardians were enveloped in darkness. They were gone…

"_I'm a Guardian. My duty… is to protect children. And I'm going to protect you to the very end, Jamie,"_

"NO!" Jamie cried, and kneeling down on the surface of the lake, he cried, his tears dripping onto the surface of the lake. The ice was melting.

Winter was not that cold anymore.

In the distance, the maniacal laughter of Pitch could be heard... and there was darkness, everywhere.

* * *

**I wrote another chapter while my muse was still with me.  
And frankly, this was an emotional chapter. But please stay with me… till the end.  
Reviewers and followers and people who had added this story to favourites…**

**Thank you. **


	8. From the Depths of Darkness

_Silence._

* * *

The surface of the lake was silent. The water, the wind and the trees were still. There was only darkness.

Jamie Bennett sat beside a large hole in the surface of the frozen lake. A mass of shapes were at the far end of the lake, resembling black statues of a large rabbit, a huge man with a beard, a bird with pretty butterfly wings, a short, round man with spiky hair… and a boy under them, dressed in a hoodie. They all looked very different, eternally frozen in their dark forms, with only one thing common. The expressions on their faces. These statues had fear written on their faces, their mouths open, their eyes wide.

They do not move any more.

Jamie stared at the hole in the ice, and seemed to behave like a statue too. He was still. He did not move, and neither did he speak.

"This is a dream, isn't it? No… not a dream…" Jamie whispered, his voice small and weak compared to the size of the lake and the darkness around him. "…a nightmare,"

Then he felt something sour rise upwards in his nose and his brown eyes teared up. It fogged his vision, as if shielding his eyes from reality. Everything in front of him blurred out, and Jamie let out a wail. He was unable to control it, that sadness, that sense of loss…

He would never see Jack again.

Not now, not ever.

And it was all his fault. His wailing got louder, as if Jack would actually come back, as if the Guardians would come flying down from the skies, as if he could hear the jingle of the sleigh, or Jack's laughter, or the flutter of Tooth's wings if he expressed his sorrow in the loudest way possible.

Jamie scrabbled at the snow, his fingers desperately digging as he crawled towards the hole where Jack had fallen through. "Jack…! Jack!"

"Jamie!" A voice called from behind him. It was Mrs Bennett.

There was the sound of police sirens. The flash of blue and red lights. Jamie turned to look at his mother, who was wearing a coat and running across the ice carefully. Behind her, a few paramedics followed her.

Jamie's face was tear-streaked, his eyes red. "Mom…! Please, you have to save Jack – and the Guardians, they're… they're…" Jamie looked behind her at the Guardians encased in darkness, but the paramedics walked right through them… like they did not even exist…

"Mom, I am serious, they're right there! You have to save them! You have to believe in them!" Jamie cried. Mrs Bennett reached her son, and hugged him tightly, pulling him away from the hole in the ice.

"Jamie! That's enough! What are you doing here in the middle of the lake! You almost fell into the ice! It's dangerous here!" Mrs Bennett cried, pulling Jamie back in her embrace. The paramedics grasped onto them, and began pulling them back towards the shore. Jamie struggled in his mother's arms, trying to get out and run towards the hole in the lake. "Jack…!" Jamie cried, reaching out towards the lake, which was getting further and further away from him…

"Jamie! We're getting someone in to… to get Jack out, alright?" Mrs Bennett said, her voice shaking as she pulled Jamie onto the shore. Jamie looked up at her, and breathed hard as more tears fell from his eyes. "It is unsafe out here right now. There… there has been a riot down the street, so once… once we…" Mrs Bennett look towards the lake. The paramedics had gotten their equipment and are surrounding the hole in the lake, reaching down into the depths below with rope and their large, power torchlights.

"Jack… he is… going to be alright…?" Jamie asked. But he and Mrs Bennett already knew the answer. Mrs Bennett hugged her son, tears falling from her eyes as well. "You don't have to think about it Jamie..." She said, her voice shaking as well. Jamie cried again, burying his face into his mother's arm.

This… was reality.

* * *

"We got him...!"

One of the paramedics cried out, shining his torch into the dark, freezing water of the lake. The light shone through the rippling waters, and cast a dim glow onto the face of a young boy. Under the water, he looked peaceful, his brown hair flowing in the water, his eyes closed. His face was white, and he seemed to be in an eternal sleep…

"Pull him up… On the count of one, two, three…!"

"_One, two… Three," Jack whispered, and smiled at Jamie._

Jamie watched as the paramedics pulled the ropes on all sides of the hole in the ice, and out came a bright, orange flat sheet with a boy rested on top. The water splashed all around the ice, and the paramedics carried the sheet over to the ice and lay it down.

"Don't look, Jamie," Mrs Bennett said, covering Jamie's eyes. But Jamie had already seen it.

Jack's body.

On the orange sheet.

Even though it only lasted for a second, that vision was burned in his mind. Jack was lying on the sheet, dripping wet. His skin was deathly white, and his eyes were closed. His brown hair stuck to the sides of his face, and the coldness of the air around them had already frozen the water clinging to his body. It caused icicles to cling to his brown hair, his face and his blue hoodie. It made him look… icy. Just like how Jamie remembered Jack Frost used to look like – as icy as that.

"He's dead. What a young chap," One of the paramedics said. Jack turned his head slightly, peeking under his mother's fingers. The paramedics were looking over his body, and they held up a white sheet to cover Jack's body with.

Jamie could not bear that. He did not care anymore. He did not care if he was scared.

He wanted to see Jack one last time.

Jamie pushed his mother's hand aside, and ran towards Jack across the ice. "Jamie!" Mrs Bennett cried out, alarmed. Jamie slid across the ice, and kneeled down beside Jack's body. He gasped, looking at Jack in front of him. The paramedics watched him, but they were silent and did not protest.

Jamie overcame his shock… and his eyes teared up again. Bending over his favourite Guardian, he looked at every detail on Jack's face. Jamie reached out, and touched Jack's hand.

It was cold. Freezing cold to the touch.

"Jack…" Jamie whispered, tears falling from his brown eyes. It hurt so much. He knew he could say anything in the world, but Jack would not answer him anymore. "…what if… I can't see you anymore? If I can't see you…" Jamie whispered.

"_Hey, hey, slow down! Do you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up? _ _Well, do you stop believing in the sun with the clouds block it out? Then you should know that we will always be there, Jamie…"_

_Jack Frost's face was bright in the sunlight. Jamie could see the sparkle in his blue eyes, every strand of his white hair, and the frost on his blue hoodie… Then Jack reached out and touched a finger to his chest. _

"…_and we will always be here. And that kind of… makes you a Guardian too," _

"Jack…" Jamie sobbed, tightening his hold on the cold, wet hand. "I will… protect everyone," Jamie whispered, looking at Jack's sleeping face. It was peaceful to him. "I am a Guardian, like you said," Jamie smiled a little. A tear fell, and landed on Jack's hand.

"Time to go, son… you can see him in the hospital," A paramedic said, placing his hand gently on Jamie's shoulder. Jamie stood up slowly and reluctantly, letting go of Jack's hand. The paramedic placed the white cloth over the body, and stood up, checking the area around them for thin ice.

Jamie turned and walked towards his mother, not looking back.

The clouds parted slightly, and the moonlight shone through the clouds, casting a dim glow on the surface of the lake.

* * *

_Darkness._

_It was the first thing I remembered._

_It was dark._

_And it was cold._

_And I was scared…_

_And then…_

_And then I saw the moon._

_It was so big… and it was so bright!_

_It seemed to… chase the darkness away. _

Jack opened his eyes slightly. It was dark before… Pitch Black. But now… there was a white glow that made him squint. It was the moon…

_When it did, I wasn't scared anymore._

He blinked a few times, and then the white cloth covering his face seemed to fall through him, and he was looking up at the moon above. The clouds had parted, and the moon was shining again, albeit weakly.

Jack felt himself rise to the air, and he gasped, drawing in a deep breath. Then he floated down slowly again, landing on the ice beside the sheet slowly. As he did, the hole in the ice froze over, and the lake surface was whole once again.

Jack Frost blinked.

"I'm..." Jack looked down at his hands, turning them around, and down at his clothes. He was wearing… Jamie's blue hoodie? Jack touched his hair and pulled out a strand , bringing it in front of his face. It was a white, silver strand, gleaming in the diminishing moonlight.

Jack smiled, and then his smile widened, and he gave a joyful laugh. "I'm… I'm back! I… I'm back again!" Jack cried, looking around for his staff. Then he realized that there were many people beside him. Jack looked around, and saw Jamie and Mrs Bennett.

"Jamie…" Jack whispered, before seeing the mass of dark figures beside them. "…Bunny! North! Tooth! Sandy!" Jack cried. He suddenly remembered. Pitch had won. The Guardians have fallen. He himself had just died… so why was he here?

Why was he still alive…?

Jack's blue eyes widened, and he looked up at the moon. But it was gone. The dark clouds had overpowered the Man in Moon once more. "Did you… use all your power to help me get back again?" Jack whispered, his blue eyes unfathomable. And there was something he knew. The Man in Moon had spoken to him once more.

_Once a Guardian, Always a Guardian_

_Your center and powers will always find you_

_Never lost._

Jack smiled. "I… made the same choice I did 300 years ago, didn't I? That's why… That was why I was able to do it again," Jack whispered, looking down at his hands. "Jamie…" Jack looked up at the boy again.

"Where's the guy?!" The paramedics cried as they flipped open the sheet. The boy's body was gone. The orange sheet and white cloth was all that's left.

"What?" Jamie cried, turning around, his eyes widening. Mrs Bennett and all the adults turned as well, muttering in shock and wonder. The body was gone. It disappeared into thin air.

Or not exactly.

Jamie was the only one who saw Jack Frost standing right beside those paramedics, his white hair bright among them.

"Jack Frost!" Jamie yelled, waving at Jack, and laughing. "He's back! Jack, you got your powers back!"

"Jamie! What… what in the world at you waving at?" Mrs Bennett asked, alarmed as she looked towards where Jamie was pointing.

Jack Frost laughed. "So they can't see me… adults usually can't, unless they try hard to believe," Jack muttered before turning around and looking across the lake surface. He saw his staff, frozen in the ice on the surface. "My staff!" Jack cried, running over and tapping his foot on the surface of the ice. "Come out, I need you!" Jack whispered.

The ice cracked, and the staff leapt up from the ice, and Jack grasped it in his hand.

In that instant, a wave of icy cold wind blew across the surface of the lake.

"Whoa!" Everyone cried out as they were buffeted by the wind, and they looked up with a slight smile on their faces.

"Jack Frost! He's real!" Jamie cried excitedly. Breaking away from his mother again, he ran across the ice towards Jack. Jack turned to face him, laughing. "Jamie! I owe you so much!" Jack cried, as Jamie hugged him. Jack hugged the boy back, and sighed.

"I know how to get the Guardians back," Jack told Jamie.

"Ah!"

Jamie and Jack broke away from their embrace, looking back.

"Jamie! What in the world are you doing again! You have to stop with all these nonsense!" Mrs Bennett yelled. She looked really angry. Something was spreading across her hands… "Jamie Bennett… I am… going to teach you a lesson for not listening to me," Mrs Bennett said, her eyes wide.

"The anger! It's taking over her!" Jack cried, seeing the darkness creep over Mrs Bennett. "Mrs Bennett….!" Jack wanted to go forwards, but two paramedics crashed down in front of him. Jamie gasped, and Jack pushed Jamie back, alarmed.

"I told you to keep an eye out for the corpse! Now it's gone. It's all your fault!" One man shouted, pushing the other as they both struggled to get up on the slippery ice. "What do you mean, my fault? I saw you the other day. You were stealing equipment! I'm going to kill you if you make me lose my job!"

"Jamie! Get over here right now!"

"Madame! Can you please get out of the way? You're interfering with what I'm trying to do!"

"It was your fault! Return the money you took from my locker!"

"Stop slacking off! I was the one who did all the work. Not you! I'll smash you…"

Jack and Jamie watched as chaos erupted around them, darkness creeping over the hands of all the people around the lake. Paramedics, policemen, Mrs Bennett…

"Jack! Jack, do something!" Jamie cried. Jack raised his staff, and someone grabbed it from behind.

Jack gasped, and he wanted to turn, but he felt a breath near his neck. "Jack… Frost!"

It was Pitch.

Jamie gasped and stumbled back, falling onto the ice. Turning around, he saw Jack facing Pitch, struggling to get his staff back from Pitch's grip. Pitch was standing tall, his one hand grasping onto the staff effortlessly, watching with mild amusement and slightly annoyance at Jack Frost.

"You Guardians just don't know how to quit… especially you, Frost!" Pitch said, his voice exceedingly calm till he said Jack's last name. It was a sharp, seething tone when he said the Guardian's name.

Jack groaned as he tried to pull his staff out of Pitch's grip, but Pitch was too strong. "I will… always be here, Pitch," Jack said, panting. The effort from trying to get back his staff was making him breathless. Jack glared up at Pitch with his intense blue eyes. "You do remember that we said… as long as one child believes, we'll be here to fight you?"

Pitch looked down at Jack narrowing his eyes. "'We'? I don't see a 'we' with you, Jack," Pitch said in a soft tone, his golden grey eyes narrowing in pity. Then his mouth widened into a large, unnervingly evil smile.

"You're_ alone_,"

* * *

**Finally I finished this chapter! Looks like Jack is back, but he's alone… And everyone's being taken over by the anger in their hearts – with help from Pitch!**

**Even if Jack did have a way to drive away anger, would he be able to stand up to Pitch himself…? **

**Thanks for the reviews and follows! wow! :D Keep reading! It looks like there's still trouble… things aren't solved yet with Jack's return! Sorry for the horrific mistakes you may spot which made reading this a torture… : just ignore them :3**


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